Chapter 7

When I opened my eyes again, I was staring at an unfamiliar ceiling.

The room smelled of herbs, nothing like the pack's infirmary.

"You're awake."

A gentle male voice came from beside the bed.

I struggled to turn my head and saw a young, blond-haired man sitting in a chair, his eyes filled with concern.

"Who...?" My voice was a dry whisper.

"Liam Grey. Senior Healer of the Neutral Healers' Alliance." He handed me a glass of water. "The Alliance sent me to investigate a surge of forbidden magic, and I found you."

I took the water, my hand still shaking.

"How long was I out?"

"Ten days." Liam's expression was grave. "You were hit by a high-level curse. Your spirit wolf almost shattered completely."

Ten days.

"My baby..." I whispered, my hand flying to my stomach.

"Still there," Liam said, gently placing his hand over mine. "The heartbeat is very weak, but it's alive."

Just then, a sharp pain shot through my chest.

"Ah!"

"It's the Moon-Eclipse Potion," Liam’s voice was tight with alarm. "It’s activating. You have to fight through it. Hold on!"

The burning agony spread from my heart through my whole body. My spirit wolf was screaming. I felt invisible chains snapping one by one.

It was my soul-bond with Austen.

The seed I had planted thirty days ago had finally bloomed.

A final, violent SNAP echoed in the depths of my soul.

And then… nothing. Silence. Freedom.

The pain was gone.

I collapsed onto the bed, gasping.

For the first time in two lifetimes, my heart felt light.

I was free.

"It's done," Liam said, checking my vitals. "Your mate bond is completely severed. From now on, you are free."

"But now," Liam looked at me with worry, "you must go to the Shadowmire Swamp to save your pup."

---

Austen's POV

"Alpha, we've searched the entire northern forest. Still no sign of her."

I looked at my captain's exhausted face, my frustration reaching its peak.

It had been ten days.

For ten days, I'd used every resource, sent out hundreds of pack members.

I had personally searched every inch of land, every possible hiding place.

But she was gone. Vanished into thin air.

"Keep looking!" I roared. "I want her found. Dead or alive."

My men exchanged glances. They could all see I was on the verge of breaking.

Back in my study, I collapsed into my chair.

The desk was piled high with search reports, every single one a dead end.

"Austen..."

Seraphina knocked softly and entered with a cup of hot tea.

"You haven't rested in ten days," she said gently, placing the cup in front of me. "You're going to collapse if you keep this up."

I didn't look up. "How can I rest when she's not found?"

"Maybe..." Seraphina said, carefully sitting beside me. "Maybe Evelyn is just throwing a tantrum. You know how women can be. She just wants to make you worry, to prove that you care."

I looked up at her.

Her eyes were full of concern, and something else... a hint of expectation I couldn't quite place.

"Right." I tried to clear my head. "She must still be angry about the necklace, and the misunderstanding about the pregnancy."

After all, Evelyn loved me so much.

We were fated mates. How could she really leave me?

"She'll come back," I said, my voice firming with certainty. "Once I find her, apologize, and explain everything, she'll forgive me."

A flash of disappointment crossed Seraphina's face, but she quickly hid it.

"Of course. But... what if she really doesn't want to come back..."

"She will," I cut her off.

"Evelyn can't live without me," I said, the words a shield against the creeping fear. "She's just trying to make me worry. To make me realize how important she is."

"But what if..."

"There is no 'what if'," I said, standing up. "We are mates. Our souls are connected. She could never truly leave me."

Seraphina bit her lip, her eyes filled with a complicated mix of emotions.

"Then... what about me?" she asked, her hand on her belly. "What about my child?"

"You're my sister. I will take care of you," I said, standing up. "But my Luna can only be Evelyn."

Moonlit Cliff...

I remembered how Evelyn used to go there when she was upset. Maybe I missed a clue!

I stood, ready to race to the cliff.

But just then, a tearing pain ripped through my chest.

"Argh!"

A violent cough ripped through me, and blood sprayed from my lips. My knees gave out. I crashed to the floor as a phantom hand plunged into my chest and tore my soul in half.

This feeling...

The mate bond... it's breaking!

"No! Evelyn!" I screamed at the sky. "Impossible!"

The pain grew more intense. I could feel the invisible thread connecting our souls snapping, inch by inch.

Every break was like another slice into my heart.

"Austen!" Seraphina knelt beside me in terror. "What's wrong?"

"She... she's severing the bond," I gasped, the words torn from me. I curled into a ball on the floor, consumed by agony.

SNAP.

With one final, sickening crack, it was over.

The emptiness swallowed my world whole.

I felt like a walking corpse.

"No... impossible..." I stared at my hands, trembling. "How could she... she loves me so much... how could she really sever the bond..."

A colossal fear suddenly gripped my heart.

She wasn't throwing a tantrum.

She wasn't trying to make me worry.

She was actually leaving me. For good.

"Evelyn..." My voice shook. "Our bond... no!"